US Boat Strike in Eastern Pacific Leaves One Survivor, Two Dead
In a devastating attack that has left international leaders and human rights advocates alarmed, the US military conducted a lethal kinetic strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday, killing two people and injuring one. The incident is the 36th of its kind since President Donald Trump began his campaign on September 2.
According to US Southern Command, one survivor was still unaccounted for and had yet to be recovered. The coastguard has been notified to activate search-and-rescue operations in an attempt to locate the missing person. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel targeted by the US military was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking operations.
The attack is the first such strike to occur in 2026, and it raises concerns about the Trump administration's increasingly aggressive actions in Latin America. Critics have compared the boat bombings to extrajudicial killings and have questioned the treatment of survivors during these strikes.
One survivor from an October 27 attack went missing in the waves and was presumed dead. In a December 30 attack, eight survivors "abandoned their vessels" and jumped overboard before their boats could be sunk in a second strike, but they were never found. The US coastguard's failure to recover these men has raised questions about its ability to conduct effective search-and-rescue operations.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused the people on board the boats of being drug traffickers, although it has never offered any evidence to justify this claim. Experts have warned that the killings could amount to international crimes and violate fundamental human rights law.
Families from countries including Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago have claimed that their loved ones were among those killed, and many insist the deceased were merely fishermen, not drug traffickers. In December, a family filed an international complaint against the US for its boat strikes, appealing to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to stop the bombings, investigate the circumstances, and seek compensation.
The incident highlights the lack of transparency and accountability in the Trump administration's actions in Latin America. The US military has launched several full-scale operations in the region, including one in Venezuela, which has sparked alarm among world leaders. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will face consequences for its aggressive actions.
In a devastating attack that has left international leaders and human rights advocates alarmed, the US military conducted a lethal kinetic strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday, killing two people and injuring one. The incident is the 36th of its kind since President Donald Trump began his campaign on September 2.
According to US Southern Command, one survivor was still unaccounted for and had yet to be recovered. The coastguard has been notified to activate search-and-rescue operations in an attempt to locate the missing person. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel targeted by the US military was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking operations.
The attack is the first such strike to occur in 2026, and it raises concerns about the Trump administration's increasingly aggressive actions in Latin America. Critics have compared the boat bombings to extrajudicial killings and have questioned the treatment of survivors during these strikes.
One survivor from an October 27 attack went missing in the waves and was presumed dead. In a December 30 attack, eight survivors "abandoned their vessels" and jumped overboard before their boats could be sunk in a second strike, but they were never found. The US coastguard's failure to recover these men has raised questions about its ability to conduct effective search-and-rescue operations.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused the people on board the boats of being drug traffickers, although it has never offered any evidence to justify this claim. Experts have warned that the killings could amount to international crimes and violate fundamental human rights law.
Families from countries including Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago have claimed that their loved ones were among those killed, and many insist the deceased were merely fishermen, not drug traffickers. In December, a family filed an international complaint against the US for its boat strikes, appealing to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to stop the bombings, investigate the circumstances, and seek compensation.
The incident highlights the lack of transparency and accountability in the Trump administration's actions in Latin America. The US military has launched several full-scale operations in the region, including one in Venezuela, which has sparked alarm among world leaders. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will face consequences for its aggressive actions.